An Iowa court might hold the key to unlocking a new senior center for Deltona.

MARK HARPERSTAFF WRITER

DELTONA — An Iowa court might hold the key to unlocking a new senior center for Deltona. Two local nonprofit organizations are contesting a will worth some $700,000 by former Deltona resident, Genevieve Jablonski. One, the Volusia County Council on Aging, hopes to turn the money into a new senior center with the help of Deltona City Hall. The other, the Salvation Army, argues the amount isn't enough to fulfill Jablonski's dream. Jablonski, a regular at the council's $3 lunches at the Deltona Community Center, died in 2009. Both the council and the Salvation Army have a claim because they're both mentioned in a 2008 modification to her 1998 will. In it, she mentions as the beneficiary of her bequest "the Salvation Army," but later writes: "This bequest to be used to build a senior center in Deltona, Florida, in conjunction with the Council on Aging." A trial has been set for Nov. 20 to determine which of the two organizations should get the money. In the meantime, Deltona city officials are urging a resolution, which both the Council on Aging and Salvation Army say they're working toward. It's been three years since the original trustee, David Kelsen, Jablonski's nephew, began attempting to sort out how to distribute the funds. Kelsen has since been replaced by a Cedar Falls, Iowa, attorney, Mark Rolinger, who is working with the Iowa District Court of Black Hawk County. Earlier this month, Deltona city commissioners – who are hoping to work with the Council on Aging to construct a new senior center — expressed frustration at the slow pace of the case. "This is ridiculous," Mayor John Masiarczyk said during a budget workshop July 8. The city contracts with the Council on Aging to offer services at the community center, 980 Lakeshore Dr., but both agree that 50-year-old facility should be either expanded or replaced. Deltona City Attorney Becky Vose and Masiarczyk said the Council on Aging has not wanted the city to contact the Salvation Army to work toward a resolution. "There is friction," Masiarczyk said. "Because of that, a disservice is being done to our seniors. This has got to stop." Tom Reavely, an Iowa attorney for the Council on Aging, disagrees. "That's not the case," Reavely said, adding he traveled to Daytona Beach in February to meet with the Salvation Army attorneys to start negotiations. Those talks are continuing, he said. Reavely said the case is a complicated one involving people with different opinions about Jablonski's intent. Greg Hansen, a Melbourne attorney representing the Salvation Army, said Jablonski's wish might not be fulfilled with the amount she left. "That's not enough to both build and operate a free-standing facility," he said. "We both can do a lot more good for the seniors in the area, put more boots on the ground, if you'll let us use that money to expand our services." Hansen said the main reason for delays in the case was the change in trustee. He acknowledged the talks with the Council on Aging. The case is being heard in Iowa because that's where the original trustee lives.